This invention relates to an apparatus for forming sausage from meat paste without the use of external skins during the forming process.
Various methods of forming sausages have been employed in the past. One of the simplest methods consists of filling edible casings or skins of natural gut with sausage meat. The skins are then tied off in suitable lengths to form links which become the final salable product. Another method utilizes inedible casings which are filled and formed into links. A coagulated skin is then formed on the links within the casings by heat processing and the inedible casings are removed. In each of these methods an outer casing or skin is separately utilized in the forming process, thereby contributing substantially to the cost of manufacturing.
Sausage products have also been made without the use of separate casings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,803 discloses an apparatus which utilizes acid treatment of an extruded meat paste which is molded within a rigid cavity to produce a completely encased individual sausage. The acid is applied through the mold which is constructed of a permeable material. Such use of extruded meat paste in the process of manufacturing sausages adds the ability to provide precise weight control of the individual links since the meat paste can be metered precisely.